External articles (3)

The private operator of a rail line that had an accident killing 79 people and injuring 600 has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. “The packed train operated by Camrail, a unit of French industrial group Bollore, came off the tracks in the town of Eseka en route from the capital Yaoundé to the central African country’s port city of Douala.”

On May Day 2018, Cameroon celebrates not only the gains made by workers and trade unions over the years, but can also celebrate the end of a ten-year experiment with privatisation of water services management. May 1st 2018 is the day that the government of Cameroon regains control of its water utility.

Questions resurface about the wisdom of privatising Cameroon’s rail system after an overloaded train derailed near the town of Eséka, killing at least 79 people and injuring 551. The network was privatised in a 30-year concession in 1999. “Seventeen years later, none of the tasks assigned to the Office of the TransCameroonian railway in terms of construction and infrastructure renewal have been performed. Cameroonians would like to know how many new buildings were built, how many extensions were implemented by Camrail, why the separation of the Cameroonian rail remained that of the colonial era” says Jean Marc Bikoko, executive president of the Central Trade Union of the Public Sector. “The responsibility of the company and therefore Camrail Group Bolloré Logistics, in this disaster is complete.”

Publications (1)

This briefing was commissioned by Public Services International (PSI) to provide an overview of the re-nationalisation of water supply in Cameroon, which comes into force in May 2018. The briefing covers the following issues.
• The history of water privatisation in Cameroon
• Workers’ response to privatisation
• Public and private performance in terms of expanding access to drinking water
• The process of renationalisation
• Large privatised construction projects

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